Forever And Then Some
by Tobi's Closet
Summary: ((Re-Uploaded under different account!)) Drake is back, but not without the help of an old, ahem, 'friend'. He'll join forces with the reluctant Nightstalkers to track down Blade and hunt the modern-day vamps! (Rated for massive M/M with Drake/OC (cough, Anubis) and everything else!)
1. A Deal With the Dragon

**A/N: N'kay, here's the scoop, this was originally uploaded on my profile: Tobi Is A Girl's Name, now it's here. So, pertaining to the fic, if you saw the alternate ending to Trinity, you'd know that Drake transformed into Blade so the Nightstalkers could get him out before the Feds come in. This is based on that, with me so far?**

"Will you hurry the fuck up?" The tall vampire snapped, "It's not like I have all night."

"Of course you don't, sir." a familiar assured, dragging the body-bag behind him with the help of other familiars, "We're trying."

The vampire leaned forward, his face mere inches from the familiar, "Try harder, human."

"Yes, sir!" The human's eyes widened and he didn't even belong to this particular vampire.

It never ceased to amaze how quickly loyalty shifts when you hold an Ace up your sleeve, his clawed fingers brush the bag tenderly,

"Don't worry my love, we will be together again." He whispers in the ancient language.

* * *

He stood in the empty warehouse, glancing around at each glyph he'd scrawled in his own blood. Yes, it was ready, he nodded and the body of Lord Dracula, the Dragon, his Drake was brought into the center circle while he sealed his wrists and tugged off his shirt.

The humans stared at him, mouths gaping like brainless little goldfish.

"Is there something you wanted?" He narrowed his eyes, mere seconds from ripping some hearts out.

"Are those . . . glyphs?" One asked, pointing weakly at the vampire's chest.

The vampire blinked, then looked down at his muscular chest and stomach, at the swirls and tribal designs, all of them composed of tiny letters in the ancient vampire tongue, and grinned wolfishly,

"Heavens no, we needed to keep a record and this seemed like the best way. Books and scrolls can be burned, just ask Alexandria, but a body as indestructible as mine will last for thousands of years and it already has." He chuckled then waved to the door, "Leave now."

They tripped over themselves to the exit, the vampire snorted and looked back to his body, running a finger over a delicate and almost unreadable (it was in such small print) line of words. A record of rituals, to be precise, his creator had been very inventive and now it was time to put it all to the test.

He walked over to the body and began to recite the words, closing his eyes and kneeling as the trance took over and he could hear the very air thrum with electricity. The ground begin to quake and he felt a jolt as his blood sacrifice was accepted. It was working.

No sooner had he thought this and opened his eyes to check his progress than a pair of fangs sank deep into his neck, wresting an aggravated snarl out of his throat, he pushed Drake back,

"You bastard, a simple 'hello' or 'thank you' would suffice, I'm more than a little drained from the ritual to resurrect your sorry ass!" He hissed, clapping a hand to his throat, stemming any further blood loss.

Drake blinked at him, sliding a perfect pink tongue over his chin and lapping up a blood droplet that threatened to escape.

"You taste delicious, as always . . . It's good to see you're still dead, Anubis." Drake leaned forward and swiped some blood off the other man's neck with his tongue, "I've missed you."

"Like hell you did." Anubis snarled, shoving him back onto the ground, "I've just been standing around with my thumb up my ass because you told me to wait. Well, look at where that got you, dickhead."

"Using the modern language more freely, are we?" Drake stares evenly, his eyes changing color from bright red to a soft blue, this was the color Anubis liked best.

"Stop that, I'm not finished being pissed at you." Anubis pointed a clawed finger at Drake, "You would still be an incredibly useless cadaver if not for me and I was thoroughly fed-up when you started flaunting yourself for that day-walker. You are _such_ a whore."

"Takes a one to know one." Drake said softly, using a phrase he'd heard Jarko say once.

"What does that even- Nevermind!" Anubis rolled his eyes and stood up, glaring down at Drake, "I just hope you appreciate the hoops I've had to jump through, it's maddening at how far our race has fallen."

Drake stood up, crossing his arms and looking around, "It is. It truly is. But, let's be not dwell on it for too long."

"Of course," Anubis nodded, holding out some clothes, "That is why I have a few plans for us, if you wish to do something about it."

"Plans?" Drake raised an eyebrow and slid into the proffered garments.

"We must cleanse our species, Drake, rid it of it's impurities, eugenics, as it were." Anubis nodded, his pale green-blue eyes almost white in the dim light.

"Fire the steel until it is perfect." Drake smirked, "I like this plan."

"I know, come along." Anubis slipped his own shirt back on and led the way into the bright sunlight.

* * *

Anubis sat by himself in a little park, watching the sky as clouds passed in front of the sun, closing his eyes and sighing at the sweet warmth that the summer had to offer. He was the first vampire turned by Drake, or at least, the first that had lasted long enough to talk about, and he was almost as perfect as his master, albeit, he could not shape-shift or become the beast that had struck fear into the hearts of whole nations, but the sun was his and the other abilities that Drake passed on. The mere shadows of the nocturnal race this century did not even come close to them, those creatures were weak and greedy, sulking in dark shadows and grovelling at whoever was in power.

"So human." Anubis mused, running a hand through short, dark hair, "So very human."

"Anubis."

He looked over, pulled from his thoughts by the tall, muscular Drake, "Yes?"

"Let's go, I've found them."

Anubis smiled, standing to fall into step with his liege-lord, "I thought you might. I still can honestly not believe that you agreed to stay with those creatures that dare call themselves vampires."

"It was out of necessity and I admit," Drake ducks his head to examine a claw, "I was curious to see how my descendants were fairing."

"Were you as disappointed as I was? Truly, I often wonder what you were thinking, passing on your gift so readily." Anubis sighed, his eyes facing forward.

"As per usual, I have listened to you too late." Drake muttered, he'd switched to the ancient tongue.

Anubis responds in kind, "Please, Drake, I was not all right, if you recall, I had hoped for a new world order as well."

"Would that not have been more efficient?" Drake asked, looking at his companion.

"Apparently not, vampires today whore out their fangs to whatever presents itself, I doubt your presence alone would have been enough, to be honest." Anubis chuckled.

"'Whore out their fangs'? Hm, perhaps vampire-ism has become an STD." Drake sighed heavily, the world weighing down his shoulders.

"Perhaps, but we have the cure for it."

They said nothing for a bit.

"Admit it, me saying 'whore' excites you."

"A little." Drake smirked.

* * *

Hannibal and Abigail could not have prepared themselves for this, not in a thousand years, when Drake and another tall vampire stepped into their presence after a hunt.

"Holy fuck!" Hannibal's gun was up and he fired a round at them, only to realize too late that they were now standing on his other side.

"Hm, so quick with the shooting. I hate that." Anubis growled, grabbing the gun and wrenching it out of the human's grasp, nearly snapping the delicate bones in Hannibal's wrist.

"How are you still alive?" Abigail leveled an arrow at Drake, her eyes narrowed as she trained in on his chest.

"You think I can't be raised from the dead, Abigail Whistler?" He asked, his voice soft as silk, he advances slowly, thrilling at her heart jumping in her chest.

"Drake, remember, we need them." Anubis sighed, holding tightly onto Hannibal's hair, ignoring the fists that were bouncing off his chest and stomach.

"Need us? For what?" Abigail asked, not lowering the compound bow, even though Drake had his chest mere centimeters from the bolt's point.

"To kill the so-called vampires of the 21st century." Anubis sighed, as if that was obvious enough.

"We are disgusted with them and we want to eliminate them. All of them." Drake kept his ruby eyes on Abigail, she lowered the bow, much to his surprise.

"You want to kill the vampires?"

"We're proposing total genocide. You're very slow, for a human." Anubis commented, letting go of Hannibal when something small hit the back of his leg, "Ow!"

A little girl glared up at him and she kicked him again. Anubis snarled and was about to do something about this new annoyance. Then Drake growled a warning and swooped past Anubis, his hands spread on either side as if to protect the small human.

"Don't, she's just a girl." Drake growled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Anubis blinked, a little startled by Drake's protectiveness over a human child, but then, he was a sentimental fool. So Anubis shrugged and crossed his arms,

"Really, we're looking for Blade, but it would seem as though you haven't see him in some weeks." Anubis turned his sharp eyes on Abigail who was now tense with Drake being so close to the girl.

"Zoe," She said carefully, holding out her hand for the girl, "Come here."

The girl, Zoe, blinked at the woman, then she looked at Drake, who was watching her, his head tilted to the side as if thinking very hard. Then she looked at Abigail,

"It's alright, he isn't the Gnome King."

"Gnome King?" Anubis raised an eyebrow, "Do I even want to . . . Drake?"

Drake was kneeling in front of Zoe, mouth opened slightly, "You remember me, little one?"

"Yes, but I was wrong, you aren't the Gnome King." Zoe nodded, her eyes betrayed no fear, nothing that Anubis expected, just a calmness uncharacteristic of a human in such close proximity to Drake.

Drake leaned forward, his bright eyes changing color slowly to a subtle brown, he was about to say something, his lips pursing suddenly and he stands up, turning back to the adults in the group,

"Either you help us or you are in our way. I know you don't have any more of the Daystar, so you are powerless against me. What will it be?" Drake's eyes were red-edged-hazel again as he crossed his arms.

"What assurance do we have that you two won't fuck us over?" Hannibal asked, eyes darting to another gun on a table.

"Hm, alright, if you start to get suspicious, you can kill Anubis." Drake said smoothly.

Anubis jolted visibly, his eyes snapping to the other vampire in shock, "Excuse me?"

"Why would killing him hurt you?" Abigail asked, still watching Zoe, "He's just another vampire."

"Anubis, take off your shirt." Drake ordered, his voice soft.

Anubis nodded slowly and obliged.

"What you see here is thousands of years of history. I would not willingly give up the only records I have of important rituals. You must know my fetish for history, my utmost respect for the past." Drake gestured to the swirling lines of words scrawled across Anubis's flesh, his fingers ghosting over a pattern on the left pectoral.

"Not much choice, is there? Alright." Hannibal said, but in reality, it was very obvious that he could not see any other way out of this.

"Then we've reached an understanding?" Drake held out his hand, which Hannibal took after only a few seconds hesitation.

* * *

Anubis was tinkering with their weaponry when Drake sidled into the room, turning the music down, and standing quite close to his companion.

"Drake, touch my music again, and I promise I will test this on you." Anubis snarled, not looking up at him as he reached over and cranked the radio up again.

"For a minion, you certainly are uppity to your master." Drake commented, sitting up on the workbench, his bare feet dangling.

"Perhaps, _master_, this loyal wretch doesn't like being used as a pawn at negotiations. I thought I'd earned _some_ respect, if nothing else." Anubis began soldering a piece into place, "Fuck off."

"Not until you acknowledge me." Drake leaned forward, it was true, he'd never actually felt that Anubis was his servant or valet or anything. If there was any doubt of his loyalty, Drake couldn't see it, this man had seen some of Drake's lowest, darkest moments. They'd been through too much to be simply master and slave, besides, he was a damn good lay.

There was no sound except the sparking metal, what Anubis referred to as 'music', and the hiss-snap of the soldering gun, finally, Anubis set his instrument down and turned to Drake, sliding his goggles up onto his forehead,

"What?" He growled, light eyes narrowing.

"You're acting strangely." Drake pointed out, his hand reaching out to touch Anubis's chin, pinching it lightly between his thumb and the knuckle of his index finger, "First you seem relieved to have me back, now you're angry with me. Do you need some Midol, a tampon perhaps?"

Anubis roared, leaping forward and pinning him to the wall opposite,

"Listen carefully, Drake, I utterly refuse my masculinity to be questioned by anyone, especially you. Leave me be, I have work to do and you are getting in my way." He growled, eyes blazing furiously, "Be gone with you."

Drake sighed and slowly moved out of the room, "I see, you're busy and I'm interrupting, but when you want a fuck, don't come crying to-"

Drake dodged a heavy wrench as it sunk into the wall.

* * *

"Why were you with the vampires?"

Drake looked up at the little girl, Zoe. He was up on the balcony of their little HQ, the vampire lord set the book he was examining down and sighed,

"They were supposed to be my people." He calmly explained, his eyes shifting to the green again.

"You aren't a vampire." Zoe sat down a few feet away from him.

"Are you so sure?" Drake asked, curious despite himself.

"Mnhm, you have fangs . . . but, you go out during the day and your skin isn't cold. Vampires are supposed to be cold because they're dead, Hannibal said so. You aren't a vampire." Zoe repeated, looking at the book he was holding, "That's my mom's. Can you read it?"

Drake looked down at it, the book was in Braille, so he hadn't yet figured out how to read it, then he remembered the blind woman he'd killed not long ago, Zoe's mother, "No, I don't understand it."

"I can teach you. Mom was showing me how to read it too." Zoe came closer, closer than any human had ever dared.

Drake blinked at her, what was it that made this little girl so fearless? Her heart wasn't racing, she wasn't sweating, and her body language was relaxed to the point of being insulting to his reputation.

"I'd . . . like that." Drake held out his hand, offering the book to her.

"No, I have to _show_ you, put your fingers on the words." Zoe opened the cover and pointed at the string of raised dots.

Drake pressed his first two fingertips on the page. To his surprise, Zoe put two of her little fingers above his and started to lead him across the page,

"'_And the gnome king, who never tried to be good, was very bad indeed_'," She read as their fingers slid over the Braille, "See?"

Drake nodded slowly, closing his eyes to better understand the strange language on the page.

After a few minutes of reading to him, Zoe sat back and they looked at each other,

"You aren't a vampire. I know you aren't." She said again, more firmly this time.

"Perhaps I am not."

* * *

Drake laid back on the couch, his eyes watching the smoke as it curled away from his cigarette, he'd found he really liked smoking, it helped pass the time and cigarettes tasted interesting.

"You picking up more filthy habits?"

He looked over to see Anubis wiping grimy hands on an already grimy rag.

"Speaks the man covered in grease." Drake pointed out, "We'll be leaving for a hunt soon."

"So I heard." Anubis sat on the edge of the couch, his greenish-blue eyes focusing on the other vampire, then he reached over and plucked the smoke out of Drake's lips and set it between his own. He inhaled deeply and then exhaled in a long, gray stream.

"Hm, you are a natural." Drake chuckled, sitting up and scooting slowly behind his companion.

Anubis raised an eyebrow and snubbed the cigarette out in an ashtray on the the rickety coffee table, watching the man with mild curiosity.

Drake lowered his mouth onto Anubis's neck, kissing wetly, "That bitch, Danica, couldn't compare to you . . . Anubis." He breathed out the name, sending a shiver through Anubis.

"I can only imagine." The other mumbles, his eyes closing slightly as he leaned back a bit.

"She was so pushy and greedy . . . she wanted to satisfy me, but I have more sophisticated tastes, my palate was besmirched by her watery blood, her pale, cold body." His fangs scrape slowly against some exposed flesh just below the soft hair on Anubis's neck, "I crave something of a different vintage to cleanse my fangs with. Something sweet and warm."

Anubis laughed softly in the back of his throat, his hand reaching back to cup Drake's face, "I see, and what brand would you like, my liege?"

"Chateau de Anubis, circa two thousand BC." He growls, his hands latching onto hipbones with a force that would have crushed them if Anubis were human, or even a modern-day vampire.

"Ah, I . . . I think I have something . . . in that collection." Anubis gasps, his body jerking violently with surprise.

Drake chuckled thickly, his fangs sliding into all-too-willing flesh and is rewarded by a flow of tangy blood, he groans, having missed Anubis's particular flavor, it mixed arousal with fear and adrenaline and passion to produce an alluring cocktail that makes Drake's teeth itch and his groin throb.

Anubis didn't move at all, his whole body tensing as the fangs dipped in, then he relaxes, sighing with relief at the familiarity of his Drake being this close and knowing that he did prefer Anubis over that skinny vampress. It isn't long before a hand was on his crotch, tugging lightly, but insistently at the denim jeans.

"Drake, we . . . we don't have time for that." Anubis mumbled, closing his eyes.

Drake huffed in his ear but sat back, licking the wounds until they stopped bleeding and moved to the side more. They sat there in silence, Anubis starts when Drake's hand went to the back of his head, absently stroking the short strands.

"You cut your hair." He says softly, not looking at Anubis.

"Yes."

"I don't like it this short. Grow it out again, please."

"Your hair is short . . . Well, I suppose, since you asked nicely, I can do that." Anubis sighs, tilting his head back into the light touch.

* * *

"Hey, you guys ready or what?" Hannibal asked, smacking a name-tag onto his vest.

Anubis leaned forward to read it, "'Hello, my name is: FUCK YOU', are you serious?"

"Is Soylant Green made of people?" Hannibal slid his gun into the belt holster, "You staying here with Zoe, Abby?"

"No," Abigail walked into the room, doing her hair up in a ponytail, "I thought you were."

They all stare at each other,

"Don't look at me, I babysit Drake, not some little human girl who kicked me in the shin."

"I'll do it." Drake offers, looking like he genuinely wanted to help.

"NO!" Hannibal and Abigail snapped at the same time.

Anubis winced, wiggling a claw in his ear, "Must you yell?"

"_I'll_ stay with her." Hannibal said, "My shoulder was tweaking earlier anyway, will you be okay with those two?"

"We are standing right here." Anubis rolled his eyes irritably.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She nodded, looking at Drake and Anubis.

* * *

The SUV traveled down a back street at a cautious seventy miles per hour speed.

"I don't get it, you won't leave either of us with the child, yet you feel confident enough to be alone with _both_ of us? Explain this to me, Miss Whistler." Anubis leaned forward in his seat, "And, while you're at it, tell me why _I'm_ in the backseat."

"I don't trust you with a defenseless child. Besides, you killed her mother." Abigail said softly, the last comment directed at Drake, her knuckles bloodless on the steering wheel.

"Fair enough, but if we'd meant any of you harm, you'd be dead already." Drake pointed out, gazing out the window, "Where are we going?"

"There's been a night club downtown that was supposed to be abandoned, but since Blade's disappearance to places unknown, the leeches have gotten bolder and are re-inhabiting their old haunts."

"Wonderful, my fangs are itching for a full meal." Anubis said, sitting back and playing with an Ipod of questionable origins.

"Meal? What are you talking about?" Abigail wrinkled her brow in confusion.

"Vampires nowadays are so close to humans that we can actually feed off them, we just need to consume more than a normal hunt." Anubis expounded, putting his feet on Drake's headrest.

"Really?" Abigail looked back at him.

"Really."

* * *

The club was overly-crowded and Anubis cringed when any of those _animals_ got too close.

"Gods, I can't stand them, little insects." He snarled, his eyes glinting in irritation.

"You're fine." Drake put a hand on Anubis's back, urging him forward, then he looked behind him, ensuring that Abigail was still visible, "When?"

"In fifteen seconds." She muttered, sliding her ear-buds into her ears.

One look and Anubis and Drake both snapped into action, grabbing the nearest half-breed and tearing into their throat. It wasn't as much fighting as it was running and screaming and ashes falling out of one's mouth when the prey was drained. A few victims later and both males were sated and ready to finish the job.

Anubis was quickly bored by how pitiful it all was and released his blades, these were of his own design, they clicked out of sheathes on the outside of his forearms. They were short, silver-edged, and deadly, meant for stabbing and slicing in close quarters. Drake kept to his old sword (recovered thanks again to Anubis, he'd have to reward his mate when this was done, repeatedly), running right at the enemy with full battle cry and slicing them to pieces.

The whole thing only lasted minutes, but it had felt even longer. Abigail, Drake, and Anubis stood among ashes and blood (damn familiars tasted almost as bad as their masters), panting softly and bodies buzzing with stale adrenaline.

"Yay team." Abigail muttered, turning on her heel and exiting.

"I don't understand these Nightstalkers, Drake, they take no pleasure in these hunts." Anubis sighed, sheathing his blades and following after her.

"Maybe because it isn't a hunt so much as a massacre." Drake shrugged, sliding his sword into it's scabbard.

* * *

They got back to HQ in time to hear the ending theme to a children's movie, Hannibal and Zoe both fast asleep in front of the TV, a bag of cheese puffs and some soda cans scattered about.

"Ah, good to see he's holding down the fort." Anubis chuckles, walking past to turn off whatever Hannibal had been inundating the child's mind with.

Abigail looked down at the two, her hand trailing over Zoe's cheek gently. Drake knelt forward, startling Abigail, his lip flipped up a little as he sniffed the girl, his head tilting curiously.

The Nightstalker at his side was carefully reaching for her UV arch. He reached out his hands and scooped Zoe up, he was about to carry her to bed, when Abigail got in his way, pointing a gun at his head,

"_Put her down_."

Drake blinked at the gun, then at Anubis who had stiffened, his fangs bared, "I'm just taking her to her room."

"I'll do it." Abigail held out her arm, still aiming the gun at him.

"I'm already doing it." Drake growled, softly so he wouldn't wake Zoe. Then he turned, knowing she wouldn't shoot him while he was holding the child and brought the girl up the stairs to the makeshift room.

It wasn't what he imagined most little girls' rooms to look like, a small bed with plain comforter, tarp walls with pictures taped to them, and only a few toys that looked like they'd come out of a charity bin.

_More like a refugee's room_, He thought, but then, Zoe was a refugee in this continuous battle between the Nightstalkers and the vampires. Drake vainly attempted to smother the memory of his contribution to all this.

He stared at these humbler than necessary accommodations before moving to the bed and pulling the covers back. Drake set Zoe down gently, pulling the blankets up to her chin, his eyes watching her little face twitch in her dreams, hoping that hers were only happy visions, not the one's he had that were dark and bloody. Children should only have sweet dreams of summer and the warm sun on their faces. He ran the back of his hand over her cheek, gauging her reaction and was surprised when she mumbled unintelligible things, tilting her face toward him.

"You don't think I'm a vampire . . . " He said softly, continuing to tucking her long, brown hair behind her small ears, "Then, what do you think I am? Do you know I was the one that . . . "

He stood up, quickly and silently, and left the 'room', sliding the tarp back into place and walking quietly past Abigail, who was watching him with a look of apprehension and she was about to open her mouth to say something, but thought better of it and went into the girl's room.

* * *

"I'm getting soft."

Anubis looks up at him, setting his book down, "You're just realizing that now?"

Drake glances at him as he pulls his shirt over his head, eyebrow arching, "Are you insinuating something?"

"No, just that normally, we would have gone off ourselves and taken on this most pressing crusade without them or Blade. You've seen something in these humans, I can tell, and the child intrigues you immensely." Anubis leaned back into the pillow on the bed in their room (it was obvious to all concerned as to the nature of their relationship, so no one questioned him when Anubis moved in with Drake) and watched him with lustful interest.

Drake sat on the edge of the bed, staring at Anubis over his shoulder, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that you are very attractive and sexy and tasty-looking. I'm thinking that I'm more than just a little horny. And, I'm thinking that this bed might not be stable enough for what else I'm thinking about." Anubis's hand travels suggestively up Drake's back, then back down to tug on his pant's waist.

Drake's lips quirked lightly in the corner on one side in a smirk, he slowly pulled his legs up onto the bed to crouch on all fours over Anubis, licking his lips slowly, "So, that's what you're thinking, funny, I had thoughts along those lines as well."

Anubis snarls playfully, leaning up to lick at Drake's lips, shoving inside, running his tongue over Drake's fangs, he wrapped his leg around Drake's and starts to rub against him. Drake chuckled into his mouth as he lowers himself onto Anubis, his hands gripping the pillow and Anubis's shoulder, forcing his head to the side with his chin,

"You can't seriously still be hungry?" Anubis asks, his hands on Drake's shoulders, sliding them over the back, then leaning forward to slip under the pants and grip ass.

"Not for blood." Drake growls, his voice thick with sex.

"Good, because I want to fuck without passing out." Anubis shifted his weight on the mattress, his leg moving a little to pull the knee over the back of Drake's crotch, causing the vampire to snarl excitedly and back up.

"Take off your clothes. Now." Drake huffed, undoing his belt, the corners of his eyes tightening with frustration at the bother of clothing.

"As you wish." Anubis throws his shirt across the room and pulls his pants down with some difficulty over his erection. Drake grabs a pant-leg and yanked hard, pulling the jeans off and making Anubis whine.

Drake then snarled, throwing himself back down on Anubis and pushing in with an exasperated huff, his hips rolling with a vicious energy.

Anubis grunts in surprise, closing his eyes and stretching out on the much-too-small bed, damning their situation, "I was hoping reunion to be smothered in rose petals and surrounded by candles, this is simply back-room fucking."

"Hopeless romantic, that's what you are." Drake sat up, grabbing at Anubis's hips and plowing into him, his knees pressing imprints into the mattress, "Better than nothing."

"Well, if I hadn't bothered to bring you back, I could've still fucked your corpse." Anubis shrugs as best one could in this situation.

"_You_ fuck _me_? Glad I would've been dead or I might have died of embarrassment." Drake mutters. He leaned forward, causing Anubis to hiss and arch, tearing at his middle with claws and spilling thick, dark blood onto them. There was a shudder as they came, hard and fast before collapsing.

Anubis set to licking the wounds he'd caused while Drake rolled onto his back,

"You've made a mess." He points out, his fingers running through his mate's short hair.

"Mmhm." Anubis doesn't look up.

"I'd suggest a shower, but you seem content to clean me up, so I'll skip it."

"You like it." The dark-haired vampire looked up with his bright eyes and dilated slit-pupils.

"So do you, apparently."


	2. A Bloody History Lesson

**A/N: N'kay, here's a bit for ya, well, a whole lot of bits . . . n'yeah, so anyway, life carries on and so does the tension in the room, will it break the Nightstalkers? Will it cause a **_**schism**_** (damn, I like that word)? Yes, and on top of that, there be flash-y-backs! I did lots of research, so enjoy! 8#3**

"I don't like this." Hannibal said softly, watching Drake sit with Zoe so close to him, they were reading Sommerfield's _Oz_ books together. The two ancient vampires had been with the group for several weeks now and the effort to find Blade was ongoing, but it shouldn't have taken this long to find a guy so conspicuous.

"We don't have much choice, King." Abigail sighed, attempting to quell her own feelings of anxiety, "If we tell him to fuck off, he could kill us. I don't much like it either, but we're screwed if we do and screwed if we don't."

"But, what happens when, if, they finish the job?" Hannibal asked, "What happens when there are no more vampires?"

"We go back to sleep."

The humans jump and whirl around, Anubis had leaped off the landing above to land directly behind them. His eyes watching them with interest,

"Don't worry about the future, he knows what he's doing. And don't worry about the girl, she fascinates him. I doubt he would let any harm come to her, especially not when the original plan of that Danica woman was to kill all your friends and he brought Zoe back with him." Anubis shrugged, "I would not fear for her safety. He will protect her."

The two Nightstalkers stare at him suspiciously.

"You doubt my word? Well, I can't blame you, I've only ever uttered the truth thus far." Anubis shrugged and walked away, hands in his pockets.

* * *

It wasn't so much that they were vampires, it couldn't be just that, there shouldn't be fear, not with how many pale leeches these humans had killed. Anubis lay there on the small bed, trying to remain still until the sun went down, but it was so damn uncomfortable, so instead, he backs up into the warmth of Drake and closes his eyes, remembering so long ago, when he was a mercenary for kings . . .

_He laid there on silken sheets, a soft pillow under his head, watching the Euphrates through a large, rounded mosaic window, the thin gauzy curtains fluttering in the light breeze. Anubis sighed with contentment, stretching out in his lap of luxury, this was the life, truly. The king, Nebuchadnezzar, had been quite generous with their payment after the long string of battles, this particular alliance was going very well._

_Anubis smiles, eyes falling onto the ornate table with plates of gold laden with dates, olives, pomegranates, and spiced meats. The pitchers of wine were silver, the finest the king could offer. He continued to scan the room with its paintings and drapery, the huge bed filled with goose down, the clothing made from silk and dyed in fine blues, reds, and purples. He sighed happily and stretched like a cat, a rich man's cat._

_"Enjoying yourself?"_

_Anubis looks around lazily, smiling drowsily at his Drake who was dressed in elegant robes of silk with a scarlet sash and a thin gold circlet on his head, his sword thrust through the sash._

_"Quite." Anubis chuckles, shifting so the sheets drape across his waist, their thinness barely concealing how very pleased Anubis is to see him._

_"You've been in bed for all day now, you're going to get fat." Drake reaches out a hand to pinch the bit of skin over Anubis's stomach, then tugging lightly on a black pearl adorning the navel._

_"I am not." Anubis smacks away the hand playfully, then rolls onto his side to pluck a date off one of the plates and slides it into his mouth, chewing slowly as the sweet fruit flavors his tongue, "The way you lounge about, I'd say you're ready for retirement."_

_"No." Drake shakes his head, smiling as he traces a line of unfinished script on Anubis's hip, "Not for me, I will not retire from this work. It pays too well, besides, I like seeing you pampered so."_

_"Pampered? Hm, I suppose this is a far cry from the fishing village you brought me from." Anubis laughs, allowing Drake's fingers to explore his midriff._

_"We shall have to finish these." Drake murmurs absentmindedly, his hand trailing up to the shoulder, the neck, tangling in the long black locks._

_"Not now, please, my love?" Anubis mumbles, his eyes closing._

_"Hm, alright, I suppose I could do some more when you are not so indisposed." Drake continues to run his hand through the long strands, reveling at their sleekness, their soft, feathery feel in his hand, "You are adapting well to this lifestyle."_

_Anubis looks up sheepishly, his eyes, the same churning green-blue as the river outside, hidden behind long lashes, "Is that a problem?"_

_"No," Drake moves to finger the small gold hoops in Anubis's ear, hearing them jangle softly as they bounce off one another, "It suits you, I think, all these pretty things and bright jewels. Yes, you are a little princess, aren't you?"_

_Anubis's eyes harden, turning from a playful river to an angry sea, "I am not a woman."_

_"Of course not, my mistake," Drake chuckles, he enjoys nothing more than teasing Anubis into a rage, knowing that it always leads to one thing, "You are simply the most beautiful man in all Babylonia."_

_Anubis sits up, his once-smiling face changed into a fierce scowl, his long hair falling down his shoulders in a shimmering black cascade, "Tell me, who has the sweetest blood?"_

_"You do." Drake smiles, knowing exactly where Anubis is taking this._

_"Who," Anubis pulls the sheet back and kneels in front of the older vampire, "Is the most satisfying in bed?"_

_"You are." Drake leans back, his sword set aside along with the circlet._

_"And, who has remained faithful to you, even when some very tasty proposals have passed under his nose?" Anubis's hands press against Drake's chest, pushing the tunic apart to expose the thick pectorals with a glyph scarred between them, his expression still determined, alerting to Drake that he was about to prove it._

_"You have." Drake nods, running his hand down Anubis's side to his hip._

_"Who loves you with all his heart?" Anubis breathes, his lips brushing Drake's jaw, the sweet smell of dates still lingering on his breath._

_"You, precious." Drake murmurs, pulling Anubis on top of him._

_Anubis nods, satisfied with Drake's answers and pushes his lips against Drake's, tongue sliding forward to give him a taste of the dates, brushing against fangs to produce droplets of blood that seem to spark a fire in the older vampire who growls and pushes Anubis back into the bed._

_"Oh, well, now that I have your attention." Anubis snaps, he always got a little jealous with Drake, the way that all those women simper over him, trying to please him with dancing and exposed breasts. There was always a moment of triumph when he would follow Drake to bed and see the grave disappointment of those little women, he almost couldn't stop from smirking at them and taking Drake's hand out of spite._

_"Don't, you look ugly with a scowl on." Drake growls, shrugging out of his clothes and straddling Anubis's hips, "I hate ugly men."_

_"Hmph." Anubis pouts a little, knowing that that will get Drake more in the mood, his legs wrapping tightly around the narrow waist._

_"Better." Drake nods, his fangs scraping lightly over the carotid, drawing the tiniest amount of blood._

* * *

"So, how old are you?"

Anubis looks up slowly from the designs for a new weapon, "Quite old."

"Like a few hundred years?" Hannibal leaned back on the workbench.

"Heh," Anubis smiled, setting his pencil down, "Try a few thousand years, I was born long before Christ himself. I also fought in several major battles all over the Mediterranean and Europe."

"Really?" Hannibal's eyes brightened with interest despite himself, "So, you've seen a lot?"

"I traveled all over the old world and I've seen many things from the the first Olympics to the crucifixion of Christ." Anubis leaned back, "Though, Egypt was my favorite retreat."

"So, where are you from?"

"Modern day England, my clan traveled there to establish a fishing village . . . Drake found us on an expedition of conquest." Anubis ran a hand through his medium-length black hair thoughtfully, "He offered to turn me, offered me a chance to leave that horribly cold place and see the world. And I took it."

"Why?"

"I had _nothing, _Hannibal." Anubis said softly, "We became mercenaries. Hired swords for some of the most powerful men of the age."

* * *

_They stood on the battlefield in the aftermath, staring around at all the dead and dying, Anubis's eyes spark from behind the protection of his helm._

_"Thermopylae, 'Hot Gates', how appropriate, it does remind me of Hell. Quite the massacre."_

_Drake nods, sliding his own helmet off to gaze at all the Persians that died, along with the fallen of Hellos, though the ratio made the sacrifice of the three hundred Spartans and seven hundred countrymen look like a pittance compared to the Immortals who still drew breath._

_"We have lost this fight." He mutters, stabbing a corpse again, watching rotting blood ooze onto the craggy rocks._

_"We are alive, we did not loose." Anubis argues, his helm now under his arm, the black hair falling past his shoulders, tangled and grimy with sweat and blood._

_"Yet, our pay will not be coming. Look, there is our paymaster, Leonidas." Drake stares at his companion, one hand reaching out to wipe some blood off of Anubis's cheek, missing how fine he'd looked, sprawled out on soft sheets and adorned with gold and jewels._

_"What a waste of bravery and good leadership. Luckily, there is always someone looking for a pair of swords to clean up some mess." Anubis sighs, "Can we go back to Egypt? I'd like to visit my temple."_

_"Ha," Drake chuckles, leaning back to clean his sword on the corpse's leather armor, "Your temple? Of course, Anubis, we will go back to Egypt, if you wish. I'm more than certain the pharaoh will welcome us back."_

_"Then, let's go." Anubis turned away from the dead bodies, tired of death and destruction._

_Drake watches him as he walks, the slight swing of the hips, the way he brushes his hair over his shoulder, yes, Anubis was meant for a life of indulgence, not this. Not the death that they were required to deal out in order to receive that luxury, not the pain of wounds or the noise of battle. He thought how he would much rather keep Anubis in Egypt, away from all this, keep him in a palace where his eyes will never dull with indifference or fill with self-loathing at simply killing a human and not putting the body to good use as food._

_Drake follows, digging into his belt pouch and shaking out several Denari,_

_"Well, we have enough for passage. By land or sea, Anubis?"_

_Anubis seemed to consider for a moment, "Sea, Germania is not very stable these days, I'd rather not engage in any more battles."_

_"Of course, my pet." Drake drops the coins back into the pouch, it would have been cheaper to get horses and the gods knew that Anubis's fine tastes would require a barge instead of a simple vessel (which would have suited Drake just fine)._

* * *

Abigail stood in the doorway, her heart in her throat at the sight in front of her, Zoe was fast asleep, leaning back into a sleeping Drake. She slowly, silently took a few steps forward, her hand outstretched, she reached them, her fingers wrapping around Zoe's shirt and was about to pull her away until she looked up into Drake's ruby-tinged hazel eyes.

Abigail gasped, pulling her hand back and covering her mouth for fear of waking the little girl. Drake slid his arm across Zoe, tilted his head to the side, and growled low in his throat.

She blinked, her heart thrumming painfully in her chest,

"Why her?" Abigail asks softly.

But Drake only shifted his body away from her, pulling Zoe tighter to his chest and closed his bright eyes.

* * *

"Why her?" Abigail asked, standing in the doorway, her eyes on Anubis's back.

"Why who?" Anubis looks over his shoulder, eyebrow cocked.

"Zoe, why is Drake so interested in Zoe?" Abigail glared at him, as if he was just being stupid.

"I don't know, maybe she reminds him of someone?" Anubis sighed and set several boxes over onto a shelf.

Baffled by this, Abigail carefully watched his progress, "Whatever. Are you . . . uh, going on the hunt."

"Yep." Anubis leaned back, "You getting any less freaked by us?"

"No."

Anubis looked her, "You seem to like Blade just fine, yet we're the ones that-"

"Drake killed my friends, asshole, Blade was on our side." She snapped.

"Oh really? Well, let me tell you something, bitch," Anubis slammed down a heavy object (doesn't matter what it was, it shattered into a thousand pieces), "First of all, I was there, you uppity little wench, I watched what they did _after_ Drake left, they strung up her up and sliced her to bits! Then they bit her, spread her blood in that message! And another thing, that half-breed, Blade, how long until he would have given in to the Thirst? I have been a vampire for several thousand years and I have _never_ lost control of myself! Drake was trying to do it with some dignity, he even saved that child! You think you would have been safe with Blade around? Do not disillusion yourself!"

Hannibal and Drake were standing by the doorway, both alarmed by the shouting, Abigail's eyes were wide and Anubis was puffing with anger like a bull,

"The Thirst always wins . . . " He said softly, voice dripping with vexation at how easily this fact was overlooked, "No matter what he would've done . . . You were all in grave danger while he was here. How can you . . . feel _safe_ around him when he can't control himself? We've been here for several weeks and have you even once seen us tremble with the strength of the Thirst or looked at you out of hunger? Can you say the same for Blade?"

Drake slowly made his way into the room, taking several cautious steps toward his mate, "Anubis."

Anubis snarled, baring his fangs and swinging a clawed hand at him, narrowly missing Drake's cheek. Drake roared and snatched at Anubis's wrist, holding it tightly in his fist, wrenching it back and forcing Anubis to his knees.

Anubis howled, his fingers scrabbling the hand, switching to the ancient tongue, "Let me go, now!"

"Not until you calm." Drake hissed, glaring at him.

Hannibal moved into the room to stand next to Abigail, not sure what to do. There was more quiet snarling, until Anubis subsided into a long whine as his wrist bones strained painfully in Drake's grasp, cradling it to his stomach when the older vampire finally let him go.

"Never lost control, huh?" Abigail whispered, her eyes still on Anubis.

"Never, he attacked me, not you, human." Drake muttered, seeming to decide the situation was back to normal and stalked out.

Anubis looked up slowly, his eyes flashing dangerously at Abigail. If it hadn't been for Drake, she would have been dead on the floor in seconds. He stood up and leaped up onto the rafters, scrambling along them until he reaches the roof, staring out at the cloudy sky, so like his home, cold and predictable, humans were such cowards, such distrustful worms, why was Blade so different from him? Had he ever actually just murdered needlessly or committed such heinous crimes to deserve to be hated? Blade was not the fucking white knight they supposed he was and Drake and Anubis were not the monsters here.

"I am not an animal." Anubis whispered to himself, "I am not a monster."

He repeated these words because he felt they were true, death and killing were not something he looked forward to, even when it was necessary, yes, it had been he who suggested the genocidal solution for the vampire problem to Drake, but . . . it didn't change the faces that he met on the 'battlefields', the screams and smells of blood and ash. He had chosen Drake to escape the cold and meaninglessness of his life, to go to exotic places and have fine things, to live and not fear the final abyss. He'd had good reasons, he'd volunteered, he'd given Drake everything, the last drops of his blood, his life, his devotion, his body . . . he was _not_ a monster . . . he was in control.

* * *

_"Take a breath."_

_Tears roll down the young man's face as he looks up from the still-warm body of a younger girl, her throat torn beyond recognition, her eyes glazed and face frozen in the final moments of her life, abject fear._

_"It's alright, the first feeding is always the hardest." Drake squats down, a finger brushing a tear away, his face full of understanding._

_"I . . . I killed her." Anubis whispers, only his name isn't Anubis . . . but what it was back then he doesn't care to remember._

_"Yes, to feed." Drake nods, "If you want to live, you must eat."_

_"But . . . she trusted me to-"_

_"No, she was a prostitute, she trusted you to take her into an alley and fuck her. That is all." Drake sighs heavily, "Do not think that she had any further expectations. You could have been a murderer, a violent man for all she knew. Better to end her misery, she was dying of some disease anyway, an occupational hazard, it would seem."_

_Anubis blinks at him, his eyes still brimming with tears then he looks back at the little one is his arms, no older than fifteen. He slowly stands up, letting the body fall and wipes his eyes on his rough sleeve,_

_Drake chuckles as he stands too, "Of course, you are still young, we must slake your Thirst."_

_That night, Anubis slaughtered the entire village, holding in his cries of anguish and self-loathing, fighting back the urge to vomit and run and hide from the beast he'd become. It was sickening, Drake urged him on, whispering words of encouragement, of praise until Anubis began to hate his voice, his face, him._

_Finally, there was nothing left, mainly because Drake forced Anubis to halt when there was only goats and sheep,_

_"We don't eat common animals, snakes and cats will make you ill, dogs are alright, but try not to eat them too often, horses and cows are the ones that are similar to humans. But all this if you are too desperate to wait," Drake explains to a silent Anubis,"Are you listening to me?"_

_"Yes." Anubis growls, his clothes drenched with blood, his claws had some skin under them, and his fangs were downright sore._

_"No, you are not." Drake's hand clutches Anubis's shoulder, only to start back as the other whirls around and rips at his clothes._

_"YOU FUCKING BASTARD, I KILLED THEM ALL!" Anubis shrieks, his eyes more murderous than they had been in the heat of blood lust as he grabs onto Drake's tunic, "WHY?"_

_"It is our way, we must feed and you were allowed to abstain too long before this." Drake calmly takes Anubis's hands and smashes them, producing a howl of agony from his youngling._

_"But, they were just villagers . . . they weren't soldiers or criminals." Anubis gasps, the keening apparent in his voice._

_"They were human, you must release your hold on your past, you are not human anymore. Humans are our food. If you wish to survive, you must feed, it does not have to be a killing bite every time, but there is the risk of you siring another vampire." Drake calmly walks to the side of building, staring down at the corpse slumped against it, "I know your heart, you are young and kind and that will get you killed. Harden that heart, do not let them see how it beats for them, or they will find a way to destroy you. It will not always be this difficult or bloody, now that you've fed, you will not need to drain more than one or two humans at a time. I promise I will help you, but you must embrace your decision."_

_Anubis stands, snapping his bones carefully back and wiggling his fingers, he takes a deep breath and nods, "I am sorry, Lord Dracula . . . I will learn."_

_Drake smiles, turning to the vampire, "Good, let us go then."_

* * *

Zoe climbs up onto the workbench, dumping several pieces of paper and some colored pencils onto the surface. Anubis looks up at her from his new weapon (a grenade that uses silver nitrate and that doesn't explode right away, the delay is necessary during a chase, to get the most vamps), his sea-colored eyes watching her curiously.

"What is that?" He asks, pointing a gloved finger at the half-finished picture of something.

"Blade and Abby and King." The little girl points at each figure in turn.

"I'll take your word for it." Anubis leans forward, resting on his elbow, "Tell me, have you and Drake finished _The Emerald City,_ yet?"

"Yep, he's getting really good at it." She smiles.

"You aren't afraid of him?"

"No, he was nice to me at the vampire house." Zoe keeps on drawing, "They wanted to eat me, but he made them go away, I thought Blade would kill him, but I guess he didn't, so Drake must be good."

"He would do something like that." Anubis nods slowly, "You remind me of someone we knew a long time ago."

"Who?" Zoe looks up with curiosity plain on her bright face.

"A little princess. I forget her name, but you look very much like her."

"A princess? Like Cinderella?" Zoe's eyes light up.

Anubis holds in a grimace, remembering the original Grimm's fairytale about the Cinder girl, "Uh, yes, like her."

"Does that make Drake a king?"

"I suppose he is a king of some sort." Anubis nods thoughtfully, watching her, "Do you know that he knew many kings in our time?"

"Like who?" Zoe sat up on the bench, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"Well, there's Nebuchadnezzar II, and Nero . . . uh, Caesar Augustus and Julius, Solomon, Saul, the heads of the Twelve tribes, although we fought them more often than not, hm, the Egyptian pharaohs, Ramses the first and second, Tutankhamen, Cleopatra, she was a shameless flirt, there were others, I just can't recall their names at the moment." Anubis tapped his chin in thought, glancing at her after awhile, "I have lived in palaces that make Buckingham look like a shack, I've seen princesses that no woman alive can compare herself with in beauty or wit or charm. I have worn clothes so fine, you'd think you were dressed in clouds."

"What about the food?" Zoe asks, her voice hushed with awe.

Anubis leans in conspiratorially, "I have tasted food so good, it melts in your mouth. There was such feasting and dancing and-"

"And the clothes of the men and women so bright and beautiful, you'd think a rainbow was streaming across the room."

They both looked up to see Drake standing there, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"There was?" Zoe asks, sitting back on her heels.

"Yes." Drake nodded and stepped into the workshop, "And you, would have been dress in silks with jewels and a tiara made of gold."

Zoe smiles, hopping off the bench and flouncing over to him, she curtsies sweetly, "Care to dance, your Highness?"

Drake chuckles and bows elegantly, "Of course, my lady."

Anubis blinks at this strange display, trying to sort out why it was that Drake cared so much for this small girl. She was charming, for a child, and smart, again, for a child. She accepted him as he was, but . . . who did she remind him of?

He mused over these imponderables while Drake and Zoe spun around the room, her small sneakers perched on his large boots, her hands in his. He was smiling and she was giggling and Anubis felt a tug at his chest, it had been so long since he'd seen Drake look that happy, that content with the world.

* * *

_"A salute, to the mighty Lord Dracula!" The King bellowed and all his subjects raised their glasses, repeating him._

_"To the mighty Lord Dracula!"_

_Drake sat back on his cushions, surrounded by woman, a crown on his head and fine clothes covering the strong body underneath. He looked so bored._

_Anubis sits up a little, tilting his head like a faithful dog unsure of his master's wishes, "Drake, are you enjoying the party?"_

_Drake gives him one of his best 'are you serious?' looks and waves another pitcher of wine away, it was so dull to him, the endless parties and drinking and horrid human females flaunting at him so shamelessly._

_"Lord Dracula?" A tiny voice pipes up from one side._

_Drake's eyes snap into life and he turns quickly, a small hand touching his shoulder lightly,_

_"Yes, little one?" he purrs, leading the frail child around to stand in front of him._

_Anubis's heart drops, oh . . . its her._

_"Can we dance now?" She asks while he gently strokes her long dark hair, her bright eyes were mirrors of his reddish-hazel, her mouth parting in a sweet smile, tiny fangs against ruby lips on exotic skin._

_"Of course, my dove." He smiles and stands, leading the girl out to where the other dancers are situated meticulously and he lifts her into his arms and begins to twirl her around, laughing and smiling._

_Anubis blinks, his river eyes watering angrily at how happy Drake was right now, how he could not coax such a reaction, not in all his years with Drake. It wasn't fair how this child could be so precious to him, when the mother had died in childbirth as only a human can. Reasons why his creator forced them to stay close to this palace for so long when nothing enticed his interest, nothing at all, but this child._

_He sat, brooding in his fine (and rather revealing) silks, gold in his ears and navel, the tattoos that had been painstakingly carved into his otherwise unmarred flesh, long black hair flowing down his shoulders like a dark waterfall, shiny and soft. He had dressed the way Drake liked, ate certain foods to flavor his blood, tried to be perfect. Yet, he was undone by a child._

_"No more, Ningae," Drake chuckles, settling back onto his seat, the tiny creature climbing into his lap, "I am getting dizzy!"_

_She laughs, clapping her hands, "Oh, please, Lord Dracula!" She pouts then, "Please, Poppa?"_

_Anubis wants to scream._

* * *

Anubis viciously rips a clawed hand through another vampire, watching it's face in the split second before it vaporizes. Feeling anything but relief at his display of violence, then he almost loses it when he notices that Drake has not yet noticed his foul mood. So, he tears several things in the old warehouse in an attempt to attract the older vampire's attention, smashing a forklift should have gotten him a head turn at the very least!

"Are you alright? You've been trashing everything in sight." Hannibal stood a wary three feet away, his finger trained on the trigger of his stake gun.

"I'm fine." Anubis snaps, throwing a heavy box out of his way with a primal snarl, eager for more prey to distract him from what is so fucking obvious.

"Okay . . . if you're sure." Hannibal watches the box sail through the air and smash on the other end of the building.

"Go away, King." Anubis growls, turning toward a small pack of vamps who had the audacity to fire several rounds at Anubis, two of which hit their mark, puncturing his chest and shoulder, "You worthless little leeches!"

With that several more piles of ashen bones were swept away by the wind. Anubis glared down at the holes in his jacket, knowing that the skin would seal, but the tattoos would have to be redone.

* * *

"You need to be more careful." Drake said softly, dipping the needle into the bowl again and began repairing the damage to the tattoos.

Anubis snorted and closed his eyes. He was sitting on the table in the 'kitchen', his shirt on the floor and Drake sitting on the chair in front of him, needle in one hand and a small bowl of ink mixed with his blood in the other. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration.

"I figured out who Zoe reminds you of." Anubis whispered, hissing when the needle pierces his skin. Funny, four bullets get barely a reaction, yet a tiny needle hurts like bitch.

"Don't." Drake warns, not looking up.

Anubis sighs and resigns himself to not moving an inch so as not to mess this up anymore.

"If you get shot again, I'm banning you from hunting." Drake mutters, "I have these records for a reason, so I _don't_ have to remember all this."

"Ban me from a hunt?" Anubis snaps his eyes up, shifting uncomfortably, "But-"

"I cannot afford for these to be damaged beyond repair!" Drake snapped, slamming his fist on the table and denting it, "If I say you stay, you stay!"

Anubis blinks in shock, then his eyes narrow, "As you command, my liege."

Drake glares at him, the rage not leaving his eyes, "Do not mock me, Anubis, I will not tolerate it. It is for the preservation of these documents and for you."

"So what? I get to stay home with the brat?" Anubis glares at the wall, fighting the urge to cross his arms because that would have looked so damn childish, "I have seen worse battles than these hunts and I have suffered graver injuries, claiming my safety is not really a believable excuse."

They were both silent, then Drake stood up and forcibly took Anubis's chin in his hand, making him look,

"If you dare question me again or if you harm Zoe in anyway, I will ensure that you suffer without damaging these marks." He hisses, his breath hot on Anubis's face, then he leans closer, sniffing at the tanned skin of the dark-haired man's jaw, "I will break you, I will not give you what you want. I can be cruel, _Drogo."_

Anubis flinches, his whole body trembles with anger only to subside to the utmost sense of sadness at hearing his old name, the name his father gave him, the name he strove to forget, the one his parents had screamed as he ripped their throats out, just like everyone else in his village.

Drake turned and walked away without another word. Anubis was left to crawl to their bedroom and hide from the faces that haunted him every time he closed his eyes, the people he had known, the people who trusted him . . . all died by his hand.

He hated Drake almost as much as he loved him, the two sides of his heart warring unlike any other battle he'd ever been in, Anubis struggled to get himself under control, but it wouldn't stop, the tearing sensation in his chest, the tears on his face, it was not _fair_. Why would Drake hurt him when he only spoke the truth? If he got too involved with these humans, it would not end well.

* * *

Hannibal and Abigail stood over the computer screen, scanning until they saw what they needed.

"Got him." Hannibal points at one, the newspaper picture is blurry, but there was no mistake.

"Blade." Abigail nods slowly.

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN DAAAAAA! Now, the only question being how will Blade react to all this? Yeah, it'll be fun!**


	3. A Run-In and Oreos

**A/N: Um, this chappy's a little short, but it's more of a segue into the next chappy so bear with me!**

"We've found him."

Drake looked up slowly from his book, "Who?"

"Blade," Hannibal explains, "We found him. He's back in the city."

"Ah," Drake stood up quickly, pulling his jacket on, "Very good, let us go then."

"Right, I'll get Abigail and- oh, wait, someone has to stay with Zoe." Hannibal bit his lip.

"I wouldn't leave Anubis on his own right now," Drake muttered, "He isn't himself. I will stay with Zoe."

Hannibal glances at Drake, trying to decide how best to go about this without getting his throat ripped out.

"Nothing will happen to her, I swear it." Drake's voice is deathly serious.

Hannibal shrugs slowly, "I guess it's only for a little while, but, I swear that if anything does happen, Anubis is gonna suck on my stake gun."

Drake nods, "Understood."

"Right, okay."

* * *

"You agreed to what?!" Abigail almost drops the stack of books and papers.

"Look, it's only for a little bit, we just have to go and get Blade and-"

"Hannibal, we can't leave her with _them_!" Abigail slammed the stack down on the table, not noticing the huge dent in it caused by Drake only a few hours earlier.

"Abby, it's okay, Drake knows what we'll do if he steps out of line and he swore that he'd protect her!" Hannibal was talking very fast so he could say everything without being interrupted.

"You are out of your tiny mind!?" Abigail rubs her forehead in agitation, "Anubis has been itching for a moment with no one around! He'll kill her, he's-"

"Maybe that's what's wrong with this whole thing."

She blinked at him, "What?"

"Maybe we've been going about this all wrong, maybe Drake and Anubis _are _on our side. Maybe they are telling the truth." Hannibal scratched his cheek thoughtfully, "What if, they really do want to help and the only thing standing in the way is us."

"They are _vampires_!" Abigail's eyes widen with disbelief, "They aren't on our side!"

"Abby," Hannibal puts his hands on her arms, "We put up with Blade, fuck, we're even _looking _for him and what if Anubis is right and we're better off trusting them than him?"

There is utter silence as Abigail just stares at him.

"Trust me, please?" Hannibal murmurs, looking down at her, his eyes softening.

"Fine, but it's on your head." Abigail huffs, pulling away and storming off.

"Yeah, okay, good talk!" Hannibal smiles, then groans, "Idiot, shoulda kissed her!"

* * *

"I know you're awake." Drake sits down on the edge of the bed, feeling it give a little under his weight.

"I am not." Anubis muttered, his back to Drake.

"They think they've found Blade, so Hannibal and Abigail are going out to look."

"They're leaving us with the brat?"

Drake stiffened angrily, closing his eyes, "Yes, we are staying with Zoe."

"Hmph, fine." Anubis pulled the pillow underneath him, hugging it sulkily.

"I hope you don't plan on staying here the whole time."

"And if I do?"

"I will be forced to take drastic measures."

"Like what? You already established how far you're willing to-"

Anubis is cut off when Drake slides on the bed behind him, wrapping his arm around the narrow waist.

"Don't make me be cruel. I hate to hurt you." Drake whispers, his lips brushing the skin behind Anubis's ear, "Please, don't make me hurt you."

Anubis shudders, biting his lip, "You know what will happen if you get too close, I won't watch you fall apart again."

"I won't. It isn't forever."

"No, not for them it isn't."

Drake is quiet for a moment, his body pressing into Anubis.

"I wish nothing but the best for you, Anubis, you gave me so much, and I only wished to return that happiness. Now? I can't do anything to replace it all, the palaces, the money, the fame, it's gone, I can give you nothing."

Anubis slowly turns around, "You don't want to hurt me, but you are right now."

"I am?"

Anubis nodded, "I love you, even when you hurt me, and I don't want any fucking palaces or money or fame. I want you, just you."

Drake smiled tiredly, his eyes light blue, "You have me."

"Then, promise me just one thing."

"What?"

"When I tell you you're in too deep, we leave and we don't look back."

Drake blinks slowly, "Alright, I promise."

"Good, now get off me, I'm still pissed at you." Anubis rolls back over, shoving Drake back, who smiles and gets off the bed.

"Alright, brood away, I'll be downstairs."

"Whatever."

* * *

"Anubis doesn't like me." Zoe said softly, looking up from eating some cookies.

Drake leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, "It isn't that he doesn't like you, just worries too much."

"Oh." Zoe dunks the cookie in some milk before looking at him again, "Is Anubis your girlfriend?"

Drake snorts, trying to suppress a snicker, "Um, I suppose that is the term they use today. Don't tell him that, though, he gets very defensive about that."

"I thought Anubis was a girl." Zoe's nose wrinkles in confusion.

"Uh, no, he's a boy." Drake grimaced, "He does look like a girl, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Zoe giggles, chomping on the cookie, "He acts like a girl too."

"He does?" Drake chuckled, swiping some crumbs onto the floor.

"Uh-huh, Abby throws fits like that sometimes, when King gets on her nerves. And she storms out, and her face squinches up like that too." Zoe wrinkles her nose and scowls, "Like this."

Drake laughed out loud, "He does that, yes. Very good imitation."

"I can do King too, see?" Zoe widened her eyes and plastered a goofy smile across her face, pointing her finger like a gun, "Die, leech! See?"

"Yes, I see." Drake chuckled, "Can you do me?"

"Mmnno, you don't do stuff like that." Zoe shook her head, "King and Abby and Anubis all do weird things like that, you don't."

"Ah, yes, I suppose I don't." Drake nods gravely, rubbing his chin.

"Wanna cookie?" Zoe holds out one to him

"Uh," Drake looks at it warily, "I've never had one before."

"You've _never_ had an Oreo before? They're like, my _favorite_!" Zoe's eyes got huge, "Here."

Drake took the cookie between his thumb and forefinger.

"No, don't eat the whole thing at once!" Zoe holds up a hand, "You gotta twist them apart! See, like this."

Zoe twisted the two cookies and separated them, exposing the cream middle, then she started to lick it off before mashing the two cookie parts together and stuffing them in her mouth.

"Like that."

"Alright." Drake chuckles, and attempts to twist the cookies apart, only to have them break in his hands, "Oh."

"You just have to practice." Zoe sighs, "Don't do it too hard or they break."

"Uh-huh." Drake shrugged, stuffing half of the cookie in his mouth, "Hm, not bad."

"Yeah, they're like awesome, right?" She smiles, handing him another.

* * *

Anubis sighed, laying on his back. He slowly sits up, rubbing his back and stretching until it cracks in several places. Well, if he was going to get up, it was probably a good idea to get up now before Blade comes, he had no desire to be laying down when that . . . _man_ got here.

He padded slowly down some stairs to see Drake and the girl stuffing their faces with cookies.

"What are you doing?"

Drake looked up, crumbs in the corners of his mouth, "Nothing."

"You are such a pig." Anubis sighed, launching over the railing to land in front of them.

"Takes one to-"

"Shut it, Drake." He growled, sitting up on the table, "I'm hungry."

"That's too bad, love, you can't go hunting without me and I have to stay here with Zoe." Drake shrugged, "In other words, stop your whining and suck it up."

Anubis glared at Drake, then he hopped down and stalked out the door. Fine, he'd go hunting alone, no sense in bothering his lordship with such trifling matters as his starvation, after all.

* * *

Anubis dropped the body as it turned to ash, smacking his lips in disgust at how gritty the last dregs had been, he wanted something fresher, something . . . human.

He smiled, well, what Drake didn't know wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

* * *

The human backed away, Anubis had found he was rusty at being subtle, he had not hunted a human being in so long he'd lost the finesse for it. But, that would quickly be remedied, a few quick steps and he had the man held to the wall, head pulled back to expose the neck. He chuckled darkly, looking forward to just one taste of living blood, until of course some asshole had to push a titanium sword with an acid edge through his gut.

Anubis dropped the human, howling in agony and rage as he grabbed the sword, shoving it out his back again and whirling around, ready to rip the fucker's throat out.

That is, he _was_ ready, before he saw who was standing there, staring in confusion at him.

"Blade." Anubis hissed, taking a step back, baring his long fangs in a snarl he hoped would be intimidating enough to buy him a chance to escape.

"How are you not ash?" Blade asked, staring in disbelief at his sword.

"Yes, well, I don't like being dust." Anubis knew he was fucked, Blade was advancing and Anubis had only his bare hands to defend himself. Wonderful, the one time he goes somewhere without Drake, he gets in over his head in trouble.

"Hm." Blade lifted the sword up, readying to try again, he lunged and Anubis leaped into the air, grabbing a fire escape ladder and scrambling up it.

It wasn't long before he was on the roof of the squat apartment building, panting as he tried to figure out where he would go now and ignore the gaping wound in his belly, until he heard the thump of feet landing a bit behind him. Anubis froze, only daring to slowly turn around when he realized that Blade was unsheathing something.

"Look, I don't think you want to mess with me, day-walker." Anubis said staring at the stake that Blade looked intent on driving into his delicate skin.

"You ain't that frightening, for a suckhead." Blade said calmly, twirling the stake before flicking his wrist and the thing buried itself into an unsuspecting vampire's shoulder.

"Agh! You'll pay for that you bastard!" Anubis shrieked, flinging himself forward to slam his fist into Blade's cheek, sending him flying into the wall of the opposite building, "It isn't that I'm frightening, just that who I'm fucking _is_."

Blade peeled himself out of the insulation and brick, landing on the ground far below, just in time for Abigail and Hannibal to show up and start prattling on about what was going on. Anubis panted, clutching his shoulder, damn silver . . . he didn't want to pull it out, even though it burned like a _mother_, just in case Blade had tampered with it. Of course, then he heard Hannibal's loud, obnoxious voice,

"Oh, shit, you mean, Anubis is down here?"

"Take your time, I'm only bleeding and in agony up here!" Anubis shouted over the edge of the building, sliding to sit on the cold stone.

* * *

"Does that hurt?" Abigail asked in the car.

"Yes, it fucking hurts, you bitch." Anubis snarled, backing away again, huddling in the corner, he hadn't let anyone touch the stake, out of some animal fear he wanted to wait to take it out, fearing more blood to spill, thus making his whole hunt worthless.

"Let me-"

"Don't touch it!" Anubis roared, glaring at her, "Don't touch it!"

"Alright!" She threw up her hands and moved to sit in the front with Hannibal, "Just trying to help."

Anubis glared at the back of her head, then he glanced back to the dark car that followed them, cursing that day-walker's rotten guts with each second.

* * *

"What have you been doing?" Drake snapped, staring at Anubis's oozing shoulder.

"Nothing." Anubis growled, trying to shoulder past him.

"Caught him trying to suck on a human." Blade said, coming to stand very close to Drake, "Good to see you again."

"Likewise." Drake muttered, then he turned on Anubis, "Is that true?"

"So what if it is? I wanted something fresh! Dammit, don't touch the fucking stake!" Anubis leaped back as Drake's hand snatched for his shoulder.

"We agreed!" Drake growled, taking several steps toward Anubis, "We were to keep our word, our honor was bound by that promise!"

"Fuck your honor!" Anubis yelled, backing away, "This fucking world doesn't give a shit about your fucking honor! Don't touch the- Aagggh!"

Anubis screamed as Drake pinned him to the wall, ripping the stake out with one vicious yank, reducing the vampire to whimpering sobs as blood spilled down his front. He collapsed against Drake, his slighter frame trembling.

"Forgive him, he's an imbecile." Drake muttered, tucking Anubis under his arm and dragged him up to their bedroom.

* * *

"Not only was that reckless, it was stupid and you've jeopardized our position here." Drake said softly, watching while Anubis lapped at bite marks on his neck. Drake's blood had a healing effect on other vampires, a sort of human blood substitute.

Anubis didn't look up, his hands clutching at Drake's arm and crotch as his wounds sealed slowly, meanwhile pressing his groin into Drake's leg. It didn't matter that moments ago he'd been shrieking insults about something his master held in the highest regard, that he'd blatantly disobeyed a direct order, all that mattered was that he was here, sucking down Drake's sweet, wonderful blood, panting needlessly into the warm skin while his cock hardened in his pants, and that he was getting a similar reaction in Drake was nice too.

"I'm sorry, my love." He moaned, moving his hand excitedly.

"You expecting a reward?" Drake snarled, getting a handful of Anubis's hair and yanking him back to look Drake in the eye.

"No, punish me, gods, please punish me." Anubis panted, his hands grabbing Drake's arm, "Make me beg for mercy."

Drake raised his eyebrow, shaking his head, "Are you my slut?"

"Gods, yes!" Anubis closed his eyes.

Drake chuckled, shoving Anubis back onto the bed, undoing his belt so forcefully the buckle snapped, instead simply ripping Anubis's jeans off in frustration.

"I liked those . . . " Anubis muttered, his eyes closed.

"Shut up." Drake growled, tugging his own pants down on his thighs before driving himself into Anubis with enough force to shatter bones, or at least part of the bed-frame.

Anubis bucked and arched, holding in gasps, cries, and screams of agony, wavering on the border of pleasure. His body ached as Drake's cock pulsed so fucking deep inside that he thought Drake would come up through his navel on each roll of hips. It could have been perfect, except that Drake wouldn't touch Anubis, hence the punishment, he was holding Anubis's hands to his chest and refused to touch him. It was sheer, mind-numbing psychological shit, Drake would get what he wanted and Anubis was there to facilitate him.

Anubis muffled a cry as Drake came, he waited patiently for his master to pull out before he relaxed enough to try and jerk himself off. Drake pulled his pants off and sat on the edge of the bed, watching Anubis come.

"Well?"

Anubis looked up, his eyes glazed with exhaustion, the sun was coming up soon, "Forgive me?"

"You're forgiven." Drake said, scooting up onto the bed to lay down next to his mate, "Don't ever go on your own again."

"Yes, my Drake."

"And don't ever insult me in front of the humans."

"Yes, my Drake." Anubis cuddled up to Drake.

"And if you breathe a single word about . . . her, I will lob off your cock and feed it to the rats."

Anubis cringed outwardly, one hand sliding down between his legs subconsciously, "Ugh, yes, my Drake."

* * *

"So, you're working with leeches now?" Blade said, sliding the whetstone over his sword's edge again.

"He didn't give us much of a choice." Hannibal shrugs, watching sparks dance off the keen edge, "Besides, him and Anubis kill more vampires in a night than we can on our own. You know, it would have gone smoother if you had come with us instead of taking off."

Blade blinked, stopping mid-swipe to stare at Hannibal.

"Just a thought." Hannibal shrugged, "But, Drake's kept his word and Anubis is sort of his-"

"His bitch." Blade sheathed the sword, and pulled his vest off.

"Uh, yeah, anywho, they've both been uber helpful and we'd like to keep them on, if not for their sterling character, than the fact that Anubis can cook better than Abby any day sweetens the deal." Hannibal smiled nervously as he met Blade's piercing and freakishly unblinking gaze, "Ye-eah."

* * *

Abigail sat typing away at the computer, there _had _to be something, some clue as to what it was about Zoe, some sort of link between them, a past life or something. Even though Abigail was bias to the whole 'resurrection' thing-y, she'd seen enough in her life to believe a small percentage of religious and theological dogma. It had to have some significance, Drake never did anything without a reason, some point to prove, the one reassuring thing about him was his consistency, the pattern of his behavior.

"What is it-?" She stopped, staring at a book on the shelf that she noticed out of the corner of her eye, one of the old, moldy copies of a history written in an ancient language. Abigail went over and carefully slid the heavy volume down, blowing an inch of dust off it before delicately opening the cover.

She could have cried when she saw the oh-so-familiar handwriting scrawled across it, Sommerfield, she had been translating the book and you could tell where she set the ruler to gauge her writing. Flipping through she found countless pages of Braille sheets between the wax-paper protected pages of the book. It was then that the book's significance struck her, it was the diary of one of the eunuchs in Nebuchadnezzar's court, with a detailed log of Drake's stay, and one passage stood out as she ran her fingers over the Braille,

_Today the Lord Dracula went out to the gardens with his daughter, Ningae, a tiny beauty treated with more splendor than any of the King's own princesses. One must wonder . . ._

Abigail's fingers froze over the raised dots, "His daughter?"

Her head turned slightly and she could see past the doorway of the 'research room' into the living room where Hannibal was shooting hoops and there was Drake, leaning over the table and talking softly with Zoe, a smile tugging at his lips (Anubis was sitting sulkily up in the rafters), Abigail's breath caught in her throat as Drake lifted his head and met her eyes with his own feral gaze, eyes bright with something that chilled her blood to ice.

He had found Ningae again.

**A/N: Aheh, yeh . . . RnR!**


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